Today continued my diplomatic mission within the framework of the 22nd session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Today continued my diplomatic mission within the framework of the 22nd session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and made a statement under item 4 of the agenda: “Discussion on the six mandated areas of the Permanent Forum (economic and social development, culture, environment, education, health and human rights), with reference to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
During the introductory statement:
– expressed gratitude to the member countries for supporting Ukraine against Russia’s war crimes, for the sanctions, thanks to which Russia has less missiles to attack Ukraine;
– drew the attention of the forum participants to the report of the Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović “Crimean Tatars’ struggle for human rights”, which for the first time is dedicated to the situation of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people;
– reminded the international community that it has already been 240 years since the Russian Empire illegally annexed Crimea and has been constantly destroying the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, their culture, language and history;
– informed that the lives of indigenous people are under threat due to enforced mobilization into the Russian army;
– reported that due to Russia’s occupation and military aggression, Mother Earth is suffering, nature is being destroyed, thousands of hectares of land have been mined, and thousands of kilometers of trenches have been dug along the coast of Crimea;
– once again reminded that the indigenous people can only be represented by the representatives of the indigenous people and the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, which Russia banned in 2016 and opened criminal cases against its leaders;
– drew the attention to the fact that the deputy chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Nariman Dzhelial, has been in a Russian detention facility for more than a year and a half;
– in conclusion, called on Russia to stop the war and withdraw its army from the territory of Ukraine.
